


whisper

by inkin_brushes



Series: Immortals (Vamp AU) [17]
Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-05
Updated: 2014-10-05
Packaged: 2018-05-27 07:09:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6274717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkin_brushes/pseuds/inkin_brushes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hakyeon looked between Hongbin and Wonshik, who were looking back at him curiously. He took a deep breath and said softly, “I quit hunting.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	whisper

It was windy outside, the air stinging Hakyeon’s face as he walked briskly down the street. He’d left Taekwoon in bed, slipping out of the warmth of his arms and out into the coldness which pervaded everywhere else, both inside and outside of their apartment. He regretted it somewhat now that his face was being clawed off by the wind. 

It needed to be done, though. It had been almost two days since he’d handed in his letter of resignation, and with a phone which currently could only receive messages provided it was connected to wifi, he hadn’t been able to check in with anyone. Which, he knew, was kind of the point, but still. He couldn’t disappear off the grid for _everyone_ in his life. 

Which was the whole reason why he’d left Taekwoon grumbling in bed — incredibly sleepy grumbling, since it was only mid-afternoon — and left to find a cafe where he could steal their wifi. It didn’t take too long, and he found one just a couple of blocks away from the apartment, a small chain shop where the coffee was overpriced but the interior, he was pleased to find, was pleasantly warm and smelled like something spicy. Hakyeon took a deep breath, letting the scent soothe him as he joined the line for the counter. 

He ordered the cheapest thing he could find on the menu and then asked for the wifi password. The girl behind the counter gave him a look which could have killed a vampire right on the spot but gave him the password in a reluctant tone of voice. He gave her a cheerful “thanks” as he took his coffee from her and then retired to the corner of the store to check his messages and emails. 

Most of them he deleted without looking at, from people that he no longer had any interest in communicating with. He had already said his goodbyes to most of them, even if they weren’t quite aware of it. He was glad he’d cancelled his actual phone contract since this way they had no way of actually calling him.

There were, however, a few messages from Sanghyuk, asking where he was. They were normal to begin with but the latest had been sent this morning, when Sanghyuk had presumably got off work, and there was an uneasy thread to it which told Hakyeon that Sanghyuk was genuinely getting worried. Hakyeon replied to him, sending him a message on KKT, which he knew Sanghyuk would delete as soon as he read. 

_come meet me at the cafe on 9th street. we can talk there._

The reply came through in less than a minute, a simple _ok_ , and Hakyeon settled back into his chair to wait. He took a sip of his coffee and regretted it immediately. He wasn’t sure how you messed up something as easy as a plain coffee but apparently they’d managed it. Exceedingly well, in fact. 

While he waited he browsed through the news, catching up on the things that he’d missed. Being underground, being literally underground, made everything feel so distant and abstract that it was hard to believe that he’d only been away for two days. He half expected to read that everything had completely fallen apart while he’d been gone, but besides the usual disappearances and dried out bodies, there was nothing of note.

It took less time for Sanghyuk to turn up than Hakyeon would have expected. It was still early enough that he’d thought Sanghyuk would have been sleeping but he turned up within half an hour, stepping into the cafe with his leather jacket buttoned up and a scarf wrapped around his neck to protect against the cold. 

His eyes scanned the cafe and, spotting Hakyeon, he began to weave his way through the tables. Hakyeon stood up to greet him and was surprised by Sanghyuk tugging him into a close hug. Hakyeon hugged back, patting Sanghyuk’s back gently. 

“God,” Sanghyuk said, stepping back and taking a seat before people could notice the two of them and begin giving them curious looks. He slung his scarf over the back of his seat and didn’t ask why Hakyeon still had his on. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” 

Hakyeon, who had expected Sanghyuk to be somewhat mad with him, asked, “You were worried?” 

Sanghyuk gave him a _look_ , one eyebrow raised. “Yes, of course I was worried. I mean, when they said that you’d handed in your resignation, I knew that you must be with— I mean. I knew who you’d gone to. But then when they tried calling you and your phone had been disconnected, and you weren’t answering your text messages or emails…”

“I’m sorry,” Hakyeon murmured. “I— I needed to get away, I needed to make sure they couldn’t contact me or hunt me down.” 

“I guessed that was why. I was surprised, a little. That you didn’t tell me in advance.”

“I didn’t want them to be able to get anything out of you,” Hakyeon said. He leaned across the table and pressed Sanghyuk’s hands between his own. “If they asked you, I wanted you to be able to be genuine and real, so that they wouldn’t suspect.” 

“Well, that worked.” Sanghyuk gave him a soft smile. “They pulled me into interrogation and I just kept telling that I didn’t know. I think it helped that you hadn’t known about— about how I terminated your mentorship, I think they think we’re on the out right now.” His face turned solemn suddenly, brow creasing in a half frown. “I wondered if maybe, you were mad at me. And that was why you didn’t tell me. I didn’t know if maybe you just— didn’t want me to know.” 

“That wasn’t it,” Hakyeon said. He was going to have pick his words carefully here, so that no one nearby could overhear and get the wrong — or was it right — impression. “That wasn’t it at all. I knew you’d figure out where I’d gone. And honestly, this isn’t— well, no, me no longer being your mentor is part of it, but not in that way. I just— I always thought I was going to die doing this, you know? That was always my plan. But that’s because this was my whole life, this job was all I had. And all my friends were— like me, Wonshik and Hongbin, I had a family there. But then, with all that’s happened over the past few months, it just hasn’t felt the same. I haven’t felt the same.” 

He took a deep breath and sipped at his coffee. His throat felt dry all of a sudden. Sanghyuk watched him, waiting patiently. Hakyeon realised suddenly that there was something different in the way he held himself now. He sat straighter, more upright, like he was on alert, even though it was the middle of the day. Hakyeon had been right; he was going to be a great hunter.

“In the end, the only thing keeping me a part of that life was being your mentor. And I was clinging onto that because I was too scared to let go. I didn’t believe that you were at a point of graduating because I didn’t _want_ you to be at that point. But then, you made that decision for me, and that one connection was just cut off. I floundered for a bit but then I talked to you, and I talked to Taekwoon, and I just— I couldn’t do it anymore. I needed to get out, Sanghyuk.” 

Sanghyuk watched him for a couple more seconds and then smiled. “You don’t need to justify it to me, Hakyeon. I know how much Taekwoon means to you. After everything you’ve done, everything you’ve gone through, maybe you deserve this. And, this might just be me being selfish, but at least this way I don’t need to find out one night that you’ve died on the hunt, or you’ve been turned. I wouldn’t— wouldn’t want to lose you like that.” 

It took Hakyeon a fair few minutes to compose himself after that. Sanghyuk waited patiently, his own eyes suspiciously shiny. Hakyeon wanted to kneel at the feet of whichever god supposedly existed and thank them for a friend like Sanghyuk. “Thank you,” he said, once he could be sure that opening his mouth wouldn’t set off the floods of tears. “I— were they very angry?” 

“Oh, yes,” Sanghyuk said with a firm nod. “They sent someone to your apartment to see if you were there and when they came back and said that you’d cleared the place out, I thought Kris was going to throw something across the room.”

“I almost wish I could have seen that,” Hakyeon said wistfully. 

“I’m not kidding, Hakyeon. They had me in interrogation for over an hour because they were so desperate to know where you’d gone. I mean, I wouldn’t have told them where you were even if I’d fully known, but they were really pressing down on me.”

“Sorry,” Hakyeon murmured again. “Although, they probably just think that I’ve gone with Wonshik and Hongbin, they never quite believed me when I said that I didn’t know where they were.” 

“Maybe. But Hakyeon, I also just think they didn’t really want to lose you. You’re the best, you know that.” There was nothing of flattery in Sanghyuk’s voice, it was merely a fact. What was missing this time was that he spoke with less awe, his voice coloured with simple, honest respect. He knew, now, what being a hunter was truly about. He’d been right. They could talk more as friends now, as equals. 

Hakyeon simply shrugged. “I’d have to step down some time,” he said. “Or be killed, I suppose. We old people have to make way for the younger ones.”

Sanghyuk frowned. “You’re not really old,” he said. 

Hakyeon laughed. “You’re sweet,” he said, which was true. His face grew solemn. “Thank you, for being so understanding. You don’t— have to do this. I’m asking you to lie even more for me, after all these months of lying. I’d understand if it’s too much to ask.” 

“The last thing I’d do is sell you out. Sell any of you out, in fact. I love you, Hakyeon, both you and Wonshik. If I can protect you, then I want to.” 

There was a pause. Hakyeon was determined not to cry and eventually he managed it. While he did it, Sanghyuk snagged his coffee and took a sip from it, pulling a face as he tasted it. Of course, by now it was lukewarm at best, which couldn’t be improving the taste any. 

“Speaking of Wonshik,” Hakyeon said eventually, “I’m going to tell him about this next time I see him. I need to message him and ask when would be best to come over, tonight or tomorrow night, but it’s still day out so he’ll be asleep.” 

“Can you make it tomorrow night?” Sanghyuk asked, setting Hakyeon’s coffee back on the table. “I’d like to come too, I want to tell him about my new partner.” 

Hakyeon smiled. The excitement and pride in Sanghyuk’s voice completely soothed over the slight sting that the termination of the mentorship brought up. “Sure, kiddo,” he said, using Wonshik’s nickname for him just to make Sanghyuk smile. “I’ll come pick you up, okay?” 

“Thanks,” Sanghyuk said happily. He rose to his feet, picking his scarf back up and wrapping it around his neck. “My shift starts in an hour or so, I’d better get going.” Hakyeon looked out of the window and was surprised to see that the sun was starting to set, everything a little bit darker than it had been before Sanghyuk had walked in. “Thank you, Hakyeon. For explaining to me. And for not being angry.”

“I’m not angry, kid,” Hakyeon said truthfully. “Not at you.” 

Sanghyuk stepped in close again and gave him a hug. Hakyeon didn’t know if he truly deserved two hugs in one day but he was going to take it. “That coffee was terrible,” Sanghyuk told him and then he sauntered out of the coffee stop. Hakyeon noticed the girl behind the counter watching him with interest all the way out and squinted at her, but she didn’t look his way. 

Giving the coffee up as a lost cause, Hakyeon left too. If the sun was beginning to set, then Taekwoon would be awake soon, and considering Hakyeon had said he’d only be gone a couple of hours, he would start to worry. With the setting sun, the air had turned even colder and by the time he arrived home, he was shivering. The air down there was as cold as always. 

Taekwoon shifted as he entered, raising himself into a half seating position. He wasn’t fully awake but neither was he as helplessly sleepy as he was when it was completely light. He didn’t say a word as Hakyeon stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed with him, merely laying back down so that Hakyeon could lay along his side, head resting against his chest. He was warm. Hakyeon quite liked using him as a personal furnace, especially since it meant staying in bed like this for extended periods of time. 

“I met Sanghyuk,” he said, voice soft to avoid disturbing the quiet of the apartment too badly. “He said they’re angry at me. They’re looking for me.”

Taekwoon’s arm tightened around his waist, as if to hold them together hard enough that they could no longer by physically separated. “They won’t find you.” 

“No,” Hakyeon said. “They won’t.”

—-

Hakyeon wished, long and firmly, as Taekwoon guided him and Sanghyuk through the tunnels that led to Wonshik and Hongbin’s house, that Jaehwan would not be there. He’d asked Wonshik to try to get him out of the house if he could. He knew that it probably wasn’t as easy as that, but Hakyeon could wish. 

It was a wish that went unheard and unanswered though, because as they stepped through the doorway, Jaehwan materialised in front of them, like an apparition from a third rate horror movie. 

“I wasn’t aware we were having a gathering,” he said, moving forward like he was going to embrace one of them. He drew up short when Taekwoon stepped in front of both humans. “I’d have arranged for drinks if I’d known.” 

Sanghyuk ducked around Taekwoon. Nobody seemed to notice Hakyeon’s arrested attempt at snagging his shirt and holding him close to his side. “Wonshik and Hongbin didn’t tell you that we were coming over?” 

“They failed to mention it,” Jaehwan said, with a casual shrug. “They have taken to being secretive recently. They keep me out of most things.”

“I wonder what could have caused that,” Hakyeon said, dripping sarcasm. Jaehwan’s eyes flicked to him, alight with amusement. Considering that the last time they had seen each other properly was when Hakyeon was trying to stab him through the heart, there was a disturbing lack of anger or apprehension in Jaehwan’s eyes. It chilled Hakyeon down to his core, the hair on his arms standing on end. For a moment, he could not have been more terrified of Jaehwan.

“Yeah,” said Sanghyuk, apparently completely at ease. “What did you do?”

“Ahhh,” Jaehwan purred, eyes shifting from Hakyeon finally and onto Sanghyuk, fixing on his face. He bared his teeth, more of a grimace than anything else. “I feel it is less a question of _what_ , and more a question of _who_.”

It took a moment but Sanghyuk flushed to the roots of his hair and turned away to stomp into the living area, tossing an angry sounding, “Asshole,” over his shoulder. Jaehwan followed him, wheedling at Sanghyuk as he went, until their voices trailed off under the oppression of the various silencing charms strung up around the place. 

Once they were out of sight and hearing, Hakyeon let out the gasp he had been holding in. His hands came up to clutch at his arms, rubbing himself in an attempt at shaking off the last of that strange fear he’d felt. Taekwoon’s arms were around him in an instant, warm and solid. 

“That could have been worse,” Hakyeon said. His voice was weak and reedy.

“Yes,” said Taekwoon. There didn’t seem to be much else to say. As far as they could be trusted to, all parties involved had behaved themselves. Taekwoon leaned back, hands on Hakyeon’s shoulders. “You have become scared of Jaehwan?” The question was light, but there was a note of disbelief threaded through it. 

“No,” said Hakyeon. “Yes. No, I’m not. For a moment, yes, I was. I couldn’t get a read on him, he didn’t react to me like I thought he would do, and it panicked me. But I’m not afraid of him, not when you’re here.” 

He gave Taekwoon a smile. He wasn’t naive enough to go wandering into the lion’s den alone, after all, not like Sanghyuk. And so long as he stayed near Taekwoon he’d come to no harm. 

Taekwoon blinked at him, a little surprised, and then turned away. He was embarrassed; if he were human, the tips of his ears would be glowing red. 

They stepped into the living room, the others already speaking in soft voices with Sanghyuk. Hongbin sat on the couch with his feet propped up in Wonshik’s lap beside him, a book hanging from his hand that he appeared to have been reading before anyone walked in. He marked his place and placed it on the coffee table in front of the couch. 

“Jaehwan brought me a book for my birthday,” Sanghyuk was saying from the chair he’d sprawled himself in, and then he coloured again, as if merely talking about Jaehwan in the present company was a faux pas. Which it was, as far as Hakyeon was concerned. 

After an awkward pause, Jaehwan said, leaning against the dining table at the other end of the room, “Yes, but Crazy steals my books, they’re not gifts.”

“I give them back,” Hongbin said mildly. What magic, Hakyeon wondered, allowed him to be so calm in the face of Jaehwan’s provocations? “It’s not stealing if you return the item in question.” 

“Yes, it is!” Jaehwan banged his hand down on the dining table in affront, hard enough to make it rattle but not, Hakyeon noted, hard enough to actually do damage. It was all show. 

“You’re lecturing Hongbin on moral behaviour now?” Sanghyuk asked, twisting his head to roll his eyes at Jaehwan. “Seems a bit hypocritical.”

“You wound me, love.”

Hakyeon ground his teeth together but even that was unable to stop him from biting out, “He’s not your love.”

Jaehwan gave him that amused look again. He was getting no end of enjoyment out of Hakyeon, it seemed. Sanghyuk, meanwhile, said softly, “Hakyeon, it doesn’t mean anything.” 

Hakyeon huffed and threw himself into a chair, arms folded tightly across his chest. Taekwoon stood beside him, a hand coming down to squeeze his shoulder soothingly. It wasn’t much comfort, not when he was stuck in this room with Jaehwan, but it was something. 

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me there was a gathering,” Jaehwan complained to Wonshik.

Wonshik gave him a flat, unimpressed look. “That’s because you weren’t actually invited,” he said. 

“I’m always invited. It’s _my house_. If you wanted to not invite me you should have held it at Taekwoon’s little hovel.” 

“There’s not enough space there—” 

“It doesn’t matter,” Hongbin interrupted smoothly. “We needed a place to talk and this was the only option. Or do you suggest we have all our meetings outside?” 

“Yes,” Jaehwan said.

Hongbin turned back to Hakyeon. “What did you want to talk to us about?” 

Jaehwan spluttered in indignation over being ignored and everyone ignored that in turn. 

Hakyeon looked between Hongbin and Wonshik, who were looking back at him curiously. He took a deep breath and said softly, “I quit hunting.” 

Hongbin and Wonshik stared at him for a beat, like what he’d just said hadn’t sunk in. He knew they’d heard him, what with that vampire hearing. Then Wonshik said, his voice breaking in the middle, “What did you just say?”

“I quit hunting,” Hakyeon repeated. “I handed in my resignation. I moved out of my apartment, I’m living with Taekwoon now.” 

“You can’t— I don’t understand— why—?” 

“It’s too hard,” Hakyeon said, barely more than a whisper. Wonshik’s mouth snapped shut. “If I wanted to be a hunter, then I needed to hate the things that I hunted. Things got difficult when Hongbin was turned, but it’s been so much harder recently. I can’t hunt these things when I love them too.” 

“But you don’t,” Hongbin said hesitatingly, “you just love us. And we’re—”

“You’re not different,” Hakyeon said. “Well, no, actually, you are. It’s just that I can’t keep these two worlds separate anymore. I can’t be a hunter and yet also have a vampire lover, have two vampires as my best friends. I couldn’t keep going like that.”

“Sanghyuk seems to be managing it,” said Jaehwan, his tone oddly neutral. Hakyeon jumped a little; he’d almost forgotten Jaehwan was there.

“Hakyeon is not the same person I am,” Sanghyuk said, voice jarringly sharp. 

Jaehwan stared at him, his tongue playing idly with one of his fangs, and then he smirked. “No, I suppose he’s not.” 

“I was going to go insane the way I was going,” Hakyeon said, smoothly ignoring Jaehwan. “I felt like I was being torn in two and I didn’t know what way to turn, but then when Sanghyuk terminated my mentorship—” 

“Wait, what?” Wonshik scoot forward in his seat, leaning in intensely so fast he blurred, a little. “I didn’t know about this, what are you talking about?”

“Oh,” Sanghyuk said, colouring. “I— yeah, I did it a few days ago. After— after we fought about—” He cut himself off, glancing at Jaehwan. “I mean— I didn’t do it because we fought, that wasn’t why. It was just because—”

“He was ready,” Hakyeon interrupted. “He’s been ready for a while, and I think we both knew that, Wonshik. We’ve both just been too scared to let him go because he was something we could cling onto after what happened to Hongbin.”

Wonshik sank back in his seat. Hongbin reached over to squeeze his shoulder, and after a moment Wonshik nodded. “You’re right,” he said, with an unamused laugh. “I don’t think I ever apologised for that, kiddo.”

Sanghyuk shook his head. “You don’t need to apologise, you were both excellent mentors. But I needed to be a hunter in my own right. And I felt ready, and Kris said I was too. So they terminated the mentorship and gave me a partner, his name’s Sungjae, he graduated recently too. I like him.” 

“Without Sanghyuk there to train, there was no point in me being there. I can’t hunt, Wonshik. I lost control recently, it was ugly, and I realised that I just— if I kept going like that, I was going to completely lose it. So I got out. I’m _out_.” 

“I don’t know what to say,” Hongbin murmured. “What are you going to do?” 

Hakyeon gave him a tired smile. “I thought about that so long and hard, I almost didn’t quit in the first place. I didn’t _know_. But I don’t have to do anything. I’m just going to— to be with Taekwoon.” 

Jaehwan made a noise, derisive and obnoxious. Taekwoon made a small motion that had Jaehwan holding his hands up, rolling his eyes. “Can’t you go away?” Wonshik asked him.

“No,” said Jaehwan. “I’m interested. I’ve never heard of a vampire and a human living together. I’m sure it’s a highly interesting set up.” 

“You’ll never see the inside of it,” Taekwoon said quietly.

“Oh, worry not, dearest brother,” Jaehwan said. “I have no interest in actually _seeing_ your illicit love nest.” 

“How do you _deal_ with him?” Hakyeon asked in an undertone. He wasn’t sure if he was addressing Wonshik or Sanghyuk, in reality, but it was Hongbin who answered.

“You have to just let him wash over you,” he said. “He’s not so bad when everything he says is just background noise.” 

“That’s highly offensive,” Jaehwan said. “You realise I could throw you out, don’t you?” 

Wonshik growled but Hongbin just patted his shoulder. “He won’t,” Hongbin said. “Hakyeon, if you think this is the best decision for you, then of course I’ll support it. Besides, it’ll be nice to be able to see you more often.” 

After a moment, Wonshik nodded. “Yeah, of course, I’m alright with it. I was just surprised. Hunting was always your everything, it was a shock.”

Hakyeon slumped in relief. He hadn’t been aware of how much he’d needed his friends to understand. “Thank you,” he said. “Thank you.” 

There was a silence that followed, not tense or awkward, just calm, settled, while they tried to think of a new conversation thread, Hakyeon’s news out of the way.

“Oh, I just remembered,” Hongbin said suddenly, stirring. “Hakyeon, I found a shirt amongst my things that I initially thought was mine, but it doesn’t fit right. And Wonshik says it isn’t his. Do you think it could be yours? You’re the only one I could think of who could have accidentally left something at my place over a year ago.”

Hakyeon blinked. “Oh, yeah, I can’t think of any that I’ve lost but I can take a look.” 

“Great.” Hongbin stood and stretched, spine arching like a feline. Then he began padding out of the room. For the first time Hakyeon noticed that his feet were bare against the marble flooring. 

“Tell me about your partner, kiddo,” Wonshik said to Sanghyuk, “I didn’t pay much attention to the other trainees, so I don’t recognise the name.”

There was a sound, like a faint whisper, and with it a blur of movement at the corner of Hakyeon’s eye, passing so close that the disturbed air ruffled Hakyeon’s hair. Then there was an awful crash, and Hakyeon jerked as he looked down to see Taekwoon smashing Hongbin down onto the floor at Hakyeon’s feet, into the unforgiving marble, hard enough that they heard the sickening crunch of Hongbin’s ribs snapping. Sanghyuk yelped but it was drowned out as Hongbin screamed in pain, the sound of it making Hakyeon’s heart jump to his throat and choke him. 

Taekwoon pressed his arm across Hongbin’s chest, holding him down, holding him still. Hongbin was clawing at Taekwoon’s arms, coughing up blood as his broken ribs punctured his lungs, his screams fading off into hysterical, gulping sobs. Wonshik shot to his feet, fangs bared and hands curved into claws, looking like he was holding back from rushing at Taekwoon only by a thread of sanity which reminded him that it would be pointless anyway. 

“What the fuck are you _doing_?” Hakyeon shrieked at Taekwoon. 

Taekwoon jerked, face whipping to the side so he could look at Hakyeon, and his hold loosened on Hongbin enough that Hongbin could surge up, snapping his fangs just shy of Taekwoon’s face. “Hungry!” Hongbin fairly screamed through the blood in his throat. 

“Shit,” Wonshik said, shrinking back. “Shit, shit—”

Beside Hakyeon, Sanghyuk had also risen to his feet, his face pale. His hands were groping at his side and for a moment his eyes met Hakyeon’s as they both realised that neither of them had thought to bring a weapon.

“Get the humans out of here,” Taekwoon said harshly, as Hongbin began to scream in rage at being held back from his prey. “Jaehwan—”

There was suddenly a hand at Hakyeon’s elbow, an arm sliding around his waist faster than he could react. A moment later he was in motion, moving through the house at vampire speed, too fast for his stomach to handle and so he closed his eyes tightly. That just meant he could see the twisted expression on Hongbin’s face, etched into his mind. It had not much looked like Hongbin, as human or vampire. 

That was the last thing many of Hongbin’s victims had seen before they died, Hakyeon thought, and he retched in horror. 

When he was put down on the ground and could open his eyes again, he found himself in the alley outside of the grate which led to the house they had just fled. It had been Jaehwan who had taken him, and he had picked Sanghyuk up along the way. But while Jaehwan had hauled Hakyeon out with an arm around his waist, he’d tossed Sanghyuk over his shoulder in a most undignified fashion. 

Sanghyuk was grumbling as Jaehwan set him back on his feet. “Was that necessary?” Sanghyuk asked. 

“Next time I’ll be sure to leave you alone with Crazy,” Jaehwan said back, almost snapping. He looked thoroughly out of patience. “Should I not expect thanks for saving your life?”

Sanghyuk’s eyes widened, hands pausing in straightening his clothing. “Thank you,” he said, subdued. He gave Jaehwan a tense smile. “I guess that makes us equal now.”

Hakyeon pulled away, his skin crawling, thoroughly grossed out being touched by Jaehwan. “You didn’t save us,” he said harshly. “Taekwoon had it well in hand.” 

Jaehwan raised his head to the sky and shook his fist at it. “Insolence!” he yelled. “Ingratitude!” Sanghyuk poked him in the side. It looked pretty hard. 

Hakyeon turned away from them. His hands were trembling so he folded his arms and stuffed them under his armpits where they couldn’t be seen. He still felt close to throwing up, and he could feel panic clawing at his stomach and throat, threatening to overwhelm him more with each passing second. He couldn’t lose control, not when Taekwoon was still down there, when Jaehwan was—

“Hakyeon?” 

A hand landed on his shoulder. Hakyeon turned his head and found Sanghyuk looking at him, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. “Are you okay? Did he— he didn’t hurt you, did he?”

Hakyeon shook his head tightly. “No, Taekwoon got there first. I— I—” He broke down then, tears finally spilling out in a rush. “He’s supposed to be _better_.”

Sanghyuk stepped in close, putting his arms somewhat tentatively around Hakyeon’s shoulders. Hakyeon clung to him, trying to stop his tears and finding that he couldn’t. “I was scared,” Sanghyuk whispered. 

“Me too,” Hakyeon said, choking it out through his tears. 

“Crazy is not yet fully stable,” Jaehwan said. They both whipped their heads around to look at him. He was watching them with a blank expression on his face. “He has set backs, he will have them for a while. Something like this was bound to happen sooner or later.” 

“But he has it more under control now—” Sanghyuk started.

“No,” said Jaehwan. “With Crazy, it is not a case of having it under control yet. We have been able to sate his thirst enough nightly so that he doesn’t have an episode like this, generally, but these things do fluctuate some. He is not able to control when that happens. I am merely surprised that it’s taken this long. Having two humans in a room is trouble enough for any new vampire, even when they’re stable.”

Hakyeon hiccuped. “It didn’t even _look_ like Hongbin.”

“Ah yes,” Jaehwan said silkily. “It’s amazing how different people look once they’re _monsters_.” 

“Hongbin’s not a monster,” Hakyeon said harshly.

Jaehwan shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

Hakyeon wished that he’d brought a weapon with him just so that he could attempt to wipe that smile off Jaehwan’s face. Luckily he had neither weapon nor time, because suddenly the grate opened up and Taekwoon slipped out, the motion like ink in water. 

Before Hakyeon could blink he found himself pressed against Taekwoon’s chest, Taekwoon’s arms practically crushing him in his embrace. Hakyeon let out a sob and wrapped his arms around Taekwoon in turn, fingers snagging on the material at his shoulders, fisting it tight. “I’m sorry,” Taekwoon whispered. “I’m sorry, I did not mean to scare you, I did not mean to _hurt_ him.”

“I know,” Hakyeon said, “I know, I know.” 

“He was coming towards you and I just—”

“I know,” Hakyeon said. “It’s okay.” 

Taekwoon held him until an unsubtle cough from Jaehwan broke them apart. Taekwoon looked at Jaehwan for a couple of still moments before he said, “Thank you.” 

Jaehwan rolled his eyes. “Like I’d leave our human friends to be eaten by Crazy. What do you take me for, Taekwoon? I’m not a complete psychopath.” 

“You aren’t?” Sanghyuk piped up. Jaehwan stumbled backwards, hand pressed to his heart like Sanghyuk had just shot him. Sanghyuk managed to smile, although it was weak. 

Jaehwan straightened up. “I take it that Wonshik has Crazy in hand, then, if you’re here?” Taekwoon nodded. “Well, then, I suppose I’d better go hunting. He’s like a baby when he’s like this, can’t feed himself.” 

Hakyeon stiffened. For all that he— knew, he didn’t like to dwell on what Hongbin and Wonshik being vampires truly entailed. He prefered to not really think about their killing, to ignore the pain that he knew they must be inflicting on innocent people. He couldn’t do this otherwise.

“You will wait until we are gone before you return,” Taekwoon said, more of an order than a request. 

“It depends on how long it takes me to find a suitable crack addict,” Jaehwan said with a shrug. “Well, it was so nice to see you all again, we really should do this more often, I say.” And then he was gone, disappearing into the night around them.

“He’s such an ass,” Sanghyuk said, loudly, perhaps in the hopes that Jaehwan would still be able to hear him. 

“And yet you still sleep with him,” Hakyeon said, the words tripping out faster than his brain could stop them. 

Sanghyuk shrugged, frowning. “That doesn’t mean I don’t think he’s an ass,” he said. 

Hakyeon shivered, pressing close to Taekwoon. It was cold out here, he realised, now that the adrenaline was fading off. Taekwoon hitched his temperature up a little, and Hakyeon could feel the difference immediately. “I am sorry,” Taekwoon said again, breathing it out. 

“You were just protecting me,” Hakyeon said. “Was he horribly hurt?” 

Taekwoon looked away, his eyes set on the ground. “Not— he was already healing by the time that I left.” 

“See? It’s okay,” Hakyeon told him. He wanted to kiss him, wanted to break down in his arms and let himself be held, but Sanghyuk was there, watching, shivering in the cold as well. So Hakyeon pulled away, stepping out of Taekwoon’s personal space.

“I have to take Sanghyuk home,” he said. 

“Mm,” Taekwoon said.

“You’ll ride with us?”

“Of course,” Taekwoon said. His hand found Hakyeon’s, fingers threading together. “Of course.”


End file.
